We possess the prophetic message as something altogether reliable. Keep your attention closely fixed on it, as you would on a lamp shining in a dark place until the first streaks of dawn appear and the morning star rises in your hearts. First you must understand this: there is no prophecy contained in Scripture which is a personal interpretation. Prophecy has never been put forward by man’s willing it. It is rather that men impelled by the Holy Spirit have spoken under God’s influence. (2 Peter 1:19-21)

During his McGinley lecture on April 1, 2008, Cardinal Avery Dulles (1918-2008) said, “Very few new ideas, I suspect, are true. If I conceived a theological idea that had never occurred to anyone in the past, I would have every reason to think myself mistaken.”

This holy man reminded us that he willingly adheres to the testimony of Scripture and perennial Catholic tradition. Keep this in mind when someone tries to tell you about a spiritual secret or revelation, ancient or newly-revealed.

Every year, around this time of year, on the anniversary marking Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, Catholics often wonder what went wrong with Christendom at the Protestant Reformation—or what we call, the “Great Tragedy.”

The most pernicious and self-contradicting and indeed, injurious to both the individual adherent and the Church in general, is the Protestant notion known as restorationism. This is the belief that Christianity must be restored to the conditions of the purer, early apostolic Church.

Spoiler Alert: Catholics never left that tradition, ever.

The problem with restorationism is manifold. For a Protestant to assume that the Catholic Church is morally and doctrinally corrupt, he must therefore admit that God erred in bestowing His authority on the Church 2,000 years ago―1,500 years prior to the Protestant Reformation―when He made Peter the Church’s first pope. (John 21:15-17)

For a Protestant to assume that the Catholic Church is not what God had in mind is a clear and dangerous rejection of Scriptures. (Jeremiah 6:10, John 21:15-17, Matthew 16:18)

These are serious charges that places the individual Protestant at loggerheads with God―not an enviable situation as one places oneself in a position to judge His law. (James 4:11)

Thus, one must wonder, how Protestant reformers like Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Melanchthon, Bugenhagen, Oecolampadius, et. al., could simply ignore Scriptures to make their points? And how does this affect sola scriptura―the reliance of only the Bible? More importantly, why would God whisper one set of beliefs to one reformer and a different set of beliefs to another? If they are all referring to the One, True God, then He would never change His mind and send mixed messages. (Malachi 3:6, Psalm 89:34)

God simply can't be mistaken and demand worship from us. He can’t have made a mistake when He made Peter the first pope. (John 21:15-17) As God is omnipotent and omniscient, He would have known exactly what He was saying and He knew to whom He gave His authority―He cannot err. (Dan 4:35, Job 42:2, Pro 21:30, 1 Corinthians 10:22, Isa 43:13, Acts 5:39)

Christians can't willingly ignore Scriptures―doing so would be sinful. A sect cannot be the One, True, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church if it ignores said Scriptures. The idea that all previous revelations are corrupted and not to be trusted is a problem under which Protestantism, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Islam all labor. They all believe that their sect, and theirsalone, is what God really wanted all along despite what He did and said in Scriptures. This mumbling, fumbling, doddering god has nothing in common with the One, True God Who speaks clearly, absolutely and resolutely never changes His mind. (Psalm 12:6, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 89:34, Leviticus 26:44, Jeremiah 14:21, Jeremiah 33:20–22.)

Further, even if these reformers were given explicit permission to ignore Scriptures for the sake of “defending” Scriptures, from whence did this cosmos-shaking revelation and permission come? God or some lesser being? Paul warns us specifically to ignore all new revelations even if they were to be given by an angel. (Galatians 1:8) Point of information, Mohammad insisted that the Archangel Gabriel told him told him he could have has many wives as he wanted. Joseph Smith got the same message from the unheard of angel “Moroni.” Jehovah’s Witnesses and William Branham also claimed to have received revelations from angels when starting their respective cults.

But a more important question is, if any of these sects is the “One, True, Apostolic Church” which God had “really” intended, why are all of these churches diminishing in numbers? According to the Fuller Institute, 4,000 Protestant churches close their doors every year compared to just over 1,000 new churches being built―that is, 11 Protestant denominations vanish everyday in the United States. We can thus conclude that these denominations weren’t really what God had in mind. How do we know? God specifically told us that even the Gates of Hell can never conquer His One True, Holy, Catholic Church (Matthew 16:18). Their extinction is clear proof that the founders of that sect, no matter how well-intentioned, were, at best, confused. (Deuteronomy 4:31, 1 Timothy 3:15, 1 Corinthians 12:28)

If there were 10,000 groups of Protestantism in the world―as they each claim to have the restorative truth, either through exegetical study or by divine revelation, they must then admit that 9,999 are completely wrong. Scriptures assures us there will be no denominations in the Church. (1 Corinthians 1:13) A transcendent, aseitious, eternal, imminent, immutable, impassible, ineffable, infinite, intimate, omnibenevolent, omnicompetent, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, spiritual and transcendent Supreme Being―a deity Who is the very embodiment of Logic and Love Itself―could not be so confused. (1Chr 28:20, Mal 3:6, Heb 13:8, 1 Timothy 4:6)

If all of these extinct belief systems had the same God-initiated message directing them to the truly restored, original Church, they would all agree with each other. (1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 11:18-19, Jude 19) We know this because the One, True God doesn’t mumble, hem-and-haw, dither, change His mind or is otherwise befuddled―He is Love and Logic Itself and if He got the basic scientific and mathematical laws of the universe right, it’s perfectly impossible to suggest that He’s somehow muddled about His own message of love which the Catholic Church has dutifully and infallibly taught for the past 2,000 years. (Matthew 16:18, Matthew 28:20, John 14:16, Ephesians 3:21, 2 Timothy 1:12-14, Ephesians 4:14, Titus 1:9)

Ours is the only Church which Jesus founded 2,000 years ago. (Matthew 16:18, Romans 12:5, Ephesians 4:4, Col 1:18) Our Church is guided by the Holy Spirit and therefore cannot teach error. (Luke 10:16, John 14:16-17, John 16:13; Acts 2:3-4, 1 Peter 1:12, 1 Timothy 3:15)

We can trust God to tell us the truth and not go back on His decision Why? Scripture tells us so, repeatedly. Other than His undying love for us, God also reminds us as to how trustworthy He is. He is the only Person we can explicitly trust. So, why would a completely trustworthy and omnicompetent Person allow “authentic” churches to dwindle and disappear? Why would a completely trustworthy and omnicompetent Person give different messages to different churches? Why would a completely trustworthy and omnicompetent Person want us to be divided when He specifically said we ought to be united? (1 Corinthians 1:10, Ephesians 4:11-13, Col 3:13-14, John 17:23, Psalm 133:1, 1 Peter 3:8, 1 John 4:12, Ephesians 4:3, Romans 12:16, Matthew 23:8, Philippians 2:1, Ephesians 1:10, 2 Chronicles 30:12, Ephesians 2:14, Romans 12:4, Galatians 3:26-28, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Ephesians 4:16, Romans 6:5)

The problem with this article, and too often with spiritual discussion, Catholic and/or Protestant, etc., is an inability to explain the original purpose of Creation, which must involve both men and women, not just men. The author talks about the early Church. God’s true ideal must involve the original man and woman, Adam and Eve; not just the Church. If God is an eternal, absolute, unchanging Being, He created both man and woman; His character is both male and female; both male and female must be part of the true resurrection.

The Catholic Church, indeed most Christianity, expresses the masculine only aspects of God. Where is the female Christ figure (so to speak) that Eve was to become, but fell? As the last Adam (Corinthians 15:45), Christ needs Eve, which is why He said he would return for the Marriage of the Lamb. The blood of humanity is corrupted due to the Fall of Man (“You are of your father the Devil” John 8:44), as Jesus said to Peter. So, the Father of the Church had Satanic blood in his veins (because we all do as Fallen people)!

Thus, we need a literal, blood-cleansing rebirth from Christ and His Bride, at His return, to be truly engrafted. Would you teach that God’s plan in the beginning was not absolute? If any church teaches that God’s plan changed due to the Fall, they are not speaking truth. How could the absolute God change? Humanity sinned, not God. Humanity needs to change, to be restored, not God.

Posted by Fr William Bauer on Wednesday, Nov, 15, 2017 9:02 PM (EDT):

A gentlemen named Brian Walsh commented on Sunday the 14th.
He said that the eastern Orthodox Churches do not have Apostolic Succession.
The Catholic Encyclopedia says differently.

Posted by David Thomas on Wednesday, Nov, 15, 2017 8:14 PM (EDT):

In the year 33… Christ Himself established HIS One and Only Religion !
That is HIS Church ... THE Catholic Church!
All the rest is ‘smoke and mirrors’ religious entertainment social groups nothing more ...
tell the protestants to go pound sand !

Posted by Peter on Wednesday, Nov, 15, 2017 12:02 PM (EDT):

I was sugesting there is a serious danger (to our eternal salvation) if we adopt
the Once saved always saved, and similar approaches and fail to stop interpreting the scriptures to suit our own convience not to say to give ourselves permission to continue to wallow in sin and expect to get a (free or otherwise) pass into Gods presence for all eternity. I have my doubts?

Posted by Ray Mantua on Wednesday, Nov, 15, 2017 10:39 AM (EDT):

There have been some interesting points as to why some Catholic churches have closed but the major reason is because of demographics. Catholics are the only people in the States and we a lot more mobile than we had been. However, when you consider the number of new Catholic parishes opening and our incrasing poplation, we don’t have much to worry in comparision to Prostestant churches which are speedily racing towards extinction. Methodism is extinct in the countyr of its origin. Anglicanism will be extinct in Canada in the next 50 years. But none of this is important because promises us that we Catholics are here until the very end.

Posted by James on Tuesday, Nov, 14, 2017 4:49 PM (EDT):

It’s true, the Catholic Church is the original church. This fact makes the current state of the Church that much more desperate and deplorable.

The faithful have no place to run.

A clergy filled with disordered individuals, a spineless leadership afraid to confront the ruling secular powers, “modern” liturgy bereft of solemnity or meaning, an overwhelming emphasis on “compassion” leading to toleration of sin and filth, bishops more concerned about their image in the media than shepherding the faithful.

But the worst? Articles like this, written by smug “believers” that plug their ears and cover their eyes when anyone speaks of the enormous problems within the Church today. Anyone criticizing the Church is pushed off as a “fanatic” or “right-wing” and ignored. Jesus did say that the Church will not disappear, but the Church can still exist with a handful of believers, and that is where things are going if the Church leadership doesn’t shed it’s arrogance and complacency and start preaching the Truth.

Posted by lyle on Tuesday, Nov, 14, 2017 1:20 PM (EDT):

The Holy Mass is the true Universal Church.

Jesus was the promised Messiah, Jesus instituted the Holy Sacrific of the Mass, to which Peter opened the Gates to all, the Universal Church. The Universal Church put the Bible together 500 years after Jesus lived and Peter started the Church.

The faith church religions are as the Jewish religion, rejection of the Holy Mass, the True Church, the True presence of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity.
Rejection of God, the true presence of God in the Mass, as the Jewish religion rejected the promised Messiah..

Posted by John Hickey on Monday, Nov, 13, 2017 6:27 PM (EDT):

One point seldom mentioned is that these protestant “churches” had misgivings based largely, not on doctrine, but behaviour. The doctrinal “difficulties” arose from often genuine outrage at immoral behaviour within the Church. So far, so good. But was the result of their new allegiance enough to eradicate all subsequent immoral behaviour within their own ranks considering all the new doctrinal purity? If this had been the result, oh, how moral we all should now be. But ....
The lesson they seem to have learned is this: if at first you do not succeed in making everyone sinless, try, try again.

Posted by kmk on Monday, Nov, 13, 2017 11:16 AM (EDT):

R.C. After your response to Caterina I was still confused. But, your response to Lori helped a lot. Thank you.
How would you explain the closing of Protestant churches as a sign that the CC is still the one Church, when Catholic Churches are also closing?

Thanks be to God.

Posted by Brian Walsh on Monday, Nov, 13, 2017 12:01 AM (EDT):

Mary:
Regarding the Orthodox churches (there is no such thing as THE Orthodox Church, correct? There are Syrian, Russian, Greek, Ukrainian, et.al) they are not ancient Catholic Churches. They too peeled off from the Roman Catholic Church, which was the only Church founded by Christ. They do not recognize the authority of the Chair of Peter, they do not have apostolic succession. While it is true that of all the other sects we should be best positioned to reconcile with the Orthdox due to the small number of differences, it may just be that the small number of differences are so ingrained as to be more difficult to overcome.

Whatever the day, they are not Catholics, ergo they are a sect and are in protest just like the Protestants. That they are not lumped in with the Protestants is due to having peeled off from the Church at a different time and for different reasons but as protestors, they are indeed Protestants..

Posted by R.C on Sunday, Nov, 12, 2017 9:19 PM (EDT):

Mary:

You ask, “Where does the Orthodox Church stand? It is a Catholic Church as well—an ancient, undivided Church just like the Roman Catholic Church.”

To call the Eastern non-Catholic Churches “undivided” is quite a stretch. But that’s not very relevant.

To understand their relationship to the Church, first ask:

- Given that Jesus gave us the Church in order (among other things) that we might have a reliable conduit of unadulterated Christian doctrines; and,

...how did Jesus intend that we be able to distinguish between His Church and the various breakaways and pretenders?

The Catholic response is: “Jesus gave an objective identifier for His Church: It consists of the people who’re in communion with the Apostolic Successors (bishops) who’re in communion with the Petrine Successor (pope).” In the Catholic view, locating the Church is a matter of objective evidence available to plumbers and shoe salesmen.

The response of all other claimants to “True Church Status” is: “We are the true Church because we still teach the true doctrines; all the other claimants ceased to be the true church when they taught false doctrines. You can know we are the true church by discovering that we teach the true doctrines. And, you need to become a member of the true Church because (among other reasons) that’s the only way you’ll have a reliable source for the true doctrines.”

If this latter response sounds circular, that’s because it is.

There have been many breakaways in the East, just as in the West. In the East (unlike the West) several of these preserved valid ordination. Some of these groups (plural) we call “Orthodox”: The Antiochan Orthodox, the Russian Orthodox, and so on. Others have different labels; e.g. the Coptic Church in Egypt, the Tewahedo Church in Ethiopia, the Assyrian Church of the East, and so on. Some broke away by not acknowledging the outcome of the council of Ephesus. Others, by not acknowledging the council of Chalcedon. And still others, by denying some other Magisterial teaching.

If Jesus intended us to locate the True Church by first knowing the true doctrines then finding the Church that teaches them, He is asking every plumber and shoe salesman to become a theologian. Not likely!

I cannot recall the chapter and verse, but do recall a passage in the gospel, when Jesus told his disciples that he was the vine and they were the branches. They would only bear fruit is they lived on in him. If they didn’t live on in him they would be like branches that had been pruned off, and thrown on the rubbish heap. That the Catholic Church still lives, despite all the persecution, is good proof that the disciples (and their successors) did attempt to live on in the vine. Had they not we wouldn’t have lasted the 1500 years, before Martin Luther came along, and supposedly set us all on the right track. In my experience God really is all-knowing and all-seeing. Nobody can and fool him for 15 seconds, let alone 15 hundred years.

Posted by Mary on Saturday, Nov, 11, 2017 7:13 PM (EDT):

Where does the Orthodox Church stand? It is a Catholic Church as well—an ancient, undivided Church just like the Roman Catholic Church.

Posted by lyle on Saturday, Nov, 11, 2017 3:04 PM (EDT):

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass under the Pope, is the True Church..
For Jesus is the promised Messiah, who opened the gates of the Church to all, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, that is the Catholic church..
The confusion came when 1500 years after Jesus the common people took the Bible put together by Catholic leaders, under the Pope 500 years after Jesus, reinterpreted what the Church is suppose to be, creating the faith Christians, devoid of the Holy Mass.

We need to remember Cromwell of England outlawed the Catholic faith, in his demand of elimination of the Holy Mass, in demand of world domination of looking to man as a god, not to God as the source of all power.. That is the real foundation of reformation.
That is why the United States Constitution itself recognizes a right and just civilization looks to God as the source of all power, or a government exists for no reason to the people.

Posted by Peter on Saturday, Nov, 11, 2017 2:30 PM (EDT):

I was being far too obscure. Many of our separated bretheren claim “Once saved, always saved” and similar things. They are wrong. GOD does not delegate the last judgement to anyone. no-one is given a private preview.

However appeaiing numerous denominations find the idea of replacing God themselves.
God is God now, always was, always will be. HE is judge without a jury. Knowing as He does exactly how we offend Him and why.

Let each of us trust Gods perfect justice. He has all the evidence to base His final judgement upon.

Posted by R.C on Saturday, Nov, 11, 2017 1:31 PM (EDT):

Lori:

You say, “I believe the Catholic Church is the true church. But I’m concerned our Pope is leading us away from scripture and long held beliefs and traditions of the church.”

It’s an understandable concern. But this is why Catholic laypersons have to become Intellectually Robust in their understanding of the faith, to avoid confusion.

Like I just said to Caterina, you can’t always trust your priest, your bishop, or even the pope, to give perfectly error-free, confusion-free, just-what-you-needed-to-hear guidance about the faith, every time they open their mouths or set pen-to-paper. That is not the way Magisterial Infallibility works.

It’s true that normally they’re pretty good guides. And it’s true that you’re morally obligated to show them some deference in view of their office.

But the truths we call “Catholicism” cannot be found by merely embracing whatever’s said today, in any fashion or forum, by the Pope, or by a Cardinal, or by your Ordinary, or by your Pastor, or by your Catechist, or by some random Theology Professor.

Instead, you must remember that The Faith Delivered Once For All To The Apostles is an internally-consistent body of truth which does not change (in the sense of reversing itself) over time, but which does develop over time (in the sense of revealing further logically-necessary implications of that which is already known).

That’s why no current teaching by a bishop can be true if it reverses or falsifies some earlier Magisterial assertion. In ten thousand years there will never be female bishops, for example, or a declaration that homosexual acts are morally laudatory.

So you need to know your history: What has been taught before? And you need to distinguish between that which was taught as an opinion (even a popular one) and that which was asserted authoritatively. (“Limbo” for unbaptized infants or artistic depictions of the pains of Purgatory fall in the category of permissible opinion, for example, whereas the Doctrine of the Trinity has been asserted authoritatively.)

Once you know that, you are obligated to interpret anything you hear as a Continuity with that which was asserted before, and to reject any interpretation which embraces a “Hermeneutic of Rupture.”

That’s why I told Caterina to think of the Teaching of the Church as “Whatever has been asserted to be true, on topics of Faith or Morals, by the Magisterium, seen as an internally-consistent Whole, and interpreted according to the Hermeneutic of Continuity.”

I hope that helps.

Posted by R.C on Saturday, Nov, 11, 2017 1:13 PM (EDT):

Caterina:

You’ve asked an understandable and reasonable question: “I have to aske(sic) WHICH Catholic church is the original one. Is it the current Bergoglio church? Because if so, the Bergoglio church is NOT the same as the church of the Council of Trent. I see MANY Catholic churches today and they contradict each other. So where do I go to find the original church?”

But, respectfully, your question (though understandable and reasonable), starts from faulty definitions of words. THAT’S what has produced your confusion on this matter.

The term “The Church,” in Catholicism, does not refer to the controversies or personalities of any particular decade. So to call the current controversies one “Church” and the controversies of a prior era another “Church” is a confusion of terms.

“The Church” refers primarily to: All the Persons (living and deceased) who are In Communion With all the Apostolic-Successor-Bishops who are In Communion With the current Petrine-Successor-Bishop. That’s “the Church.”

By that standard, obviously St. Peter’s Church is the same as that of Trent and of the present.

The phrase “The Teaching Of The Church” also has a meaning. It means, “Whatever has been asserted to be true, on topics of Faith or Morals, by the Magisterium, seen as an internally-consistent Whole, and interpreted according to the Hermeneutic of Continuity.”

By that definition, whatever a cleric says right now can either be, or not be, “The Teaching of the Church,” whether he’s a pope or a leftist German bishop or an SSPX priest. But “The Teaching of the Church” is still there, knowable and stable.

Now, if you redefine “The Church” to mean “a group of people clustered around a shared set of ideas about what’s right and wrong,” then I can see how you might think there were many Catholic Churches. But that’s not how Catholicism defines “the Church,” it’s how Protestantism defines a “denomination.” If you avoid importing Protestant categories into a discussion of the Catholic Church, you’ll be able to see Catholicism more correctly.

Likewise, the “teaching of the Church” isn’t “whatever the current crop of Bishops happen to be saying on any topic whatsoever.” You have to give a certain respect to such persons in view of their office, but the “Teaching of the Church” is something more robust, continuous, and narrowly-defined than whatever your bishop, or even the pope, happens to prattle about to a random reporter!

Does that help?

Posted by Caterina on Friday, Nov, 10, 2017 4:49 PM (EDT):

I have to aske WHICH Catholic church is the original one. Is it the current Bergoglio church? Because if so, the Bergoglio church is NOT the same as the church of the Council of Trent. I see MANY Catholic churches today and they contradict each other. So where do I go to find the original church?

Posted by Lori on Friday, Nov, 10, 2017 12:36 PM (EDT):

I believe the Catholic Church is the true church. But I’m concerned our Pope is leading us away from scripture and long held beliefs and traditions of the church.

Posted by R.C. on Friday, Nov, 10, 2017 12:52 AM (EDT):

Peter:

You asked, “I know of no where in any scripture when nor where “GOD” delegates His judgement function on the last day, nor do I know of when nor where He has allowed any of His creatures to pre-empt His decision? Does anyone?????”

Although you used quote-marks around the word GOD which normally would deemphasize the word or indicate something dubious about it, I am guessing you actually meant to emphasize it. Is that correct? Or do I misunderstand?

Likewise I’m not sure I understand your question. I responded to you about apostolic authority, which follows the rabbinic, stewardly, and priestly models of the Old Testament. I responded that way because I thought you were asking about where (in the Bible) God has given powerful judgment/administration power in the Kingdom of God to men, and promised to ratify their decisions. If that is what you were asking, then that’s what I answered.

But re-reading your question, I realized you said “on the Last Day.” Well, humans will judge angels, at some point; but on the Last Day, God judges all. So far as I know, He does so directly rather than through deputies. (However, if He were to delegate judiciary authority to some of His saints or angels, it would still be a divine judgment, merely a delegated one.)

Is that what you were asking?

As for “has allowed any of His creatures to pre-empt His decision,” I confess to being confused. I wish I knew the context of your question. The Catholic Church does not teach that the Church’s Magisterial Infallibility overrides God. On the contrary, it teaches that God will override the normal errors, confusions, and ignorance of individual humans to prevent the Church formally teaching anything erroneous as part of any final judgment or declaration. So it is not a matter of God being pre-empted, but the normal course of humans getting stuff wrong which is pre-empted. But perhaps that’s not what you were thinking about?

Sorry if I answered a question you weren’t asking!

Posted by Barry J on Thursday, Nov, 9, 2017 8:25 PM (EDT):

Hi Peter,
A fair point and I don’t know …but there are a couple of things to remember about Catholicism.
1)Catholicism was the first and original Church. So therefore Catholicism is right and all other faiths are wrong.
2)When Angelo makes a point in his article and finishes with quoting scripture verses, this should also tell you he is right. (His conclusion had 19 verses!)
3)Scripture is right. It’s in plain English!, thanks to William Tyndale. We just need to read and understand it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tyndale

I hope this helps

Posted by Mary Ann Chimera on Thursday, Nov, 9, 2017 6:42 PM (EDT):

BE careful in speaking of closed churches as proof. There are plenty of Catholic Churches that are closed across this nation. There are also Catholic churches being built.
Speaking of denominations and sects disappearing is another matter.

Posted by R.C. on Thursday, Nov, 9, 2017 1:06 PM (EDT):

Peter:

“What you (singular) bind on earth is bound in heaven; what you (singular) loose on earth is loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16, Jesus to Peter.

“What y’all (plural) bind on earth is bound in heaven; what y’all (plural) loose on earth is loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18, Jesus to the Twelve.

The Apostles understood this: In Acts 15’s “proto-council of Jerusalem,” they overrode the the Old Testament (which had required circumcision to become part of the People Of God). They announced, “It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us that we only require you abstain from eating blood, from meat sacrificed to idols, and from sexually immorality.” They assume this has the Holy Spirit’s ratification, since that’s what Jesus promised.

1. A priest “locks/unlocks” (especially adjacent to imagery of the community or the gates to the Temple) by declaring someone clean or unclean, deciding if they are permitted to enter the Temple or not; or whether they are cast out from the People.

2. Post-exilic Rabbis would “bind/loose” on disputed matters of the Mosaic Law. For example, if a disciple asked, “How far may one walk on the Sabbath?” the Rabbi’s might “bind” walking more than a half-mile.

3. Royal Stewards of the Davidic King were in charge of administrating provinces. Steward had authority to make law in his province, “binding” in the King’s name. If they gave someone freedom of a city, this would be called “opening” the city to them. The Davidic King also had a Chief Steward called the Al Bayith or “He who is Over The House” who had plenary authority to settle intra-steward disputes. “What he bound, no other steward could loose; what he unlocked, no other steward could lock.” In Isaiah 22, God judges the Al Bayith (Shebna) and says that when Shebna dies Eliakim son of Hilkiah will be a better Chief Steward: “He will be like a Father to those in Jerusalem, a tent-peg driven in a secure place to hold-together the whole House. What he opens, none other will shut; what he shuts, none other shall open. And he’ll administer Temple Worship, even down to the chalices and patens.”

The Al Bayith in the David’s Kingdom is a prophetic “type” of the Pope in Jesus’ Kingdom, since Jesus is the Son of David.

Posted by Peter on Wednesday, Nov, 8, 2017 1:08 PM (EDT):

I know of no where in any scripture when nor where “GOD” delegates His judgement function
on the last day, nor do I know of when nor where He has allowed any of His creatures to pre-empt His decision? Does anyone?????

Posted by Barry on Wednesday, Nov, 8, 2017 3:27 AM (EDT):

Hi Angelo

What a lovely and up lifting article. Certainly gave a very warm feeling inside knowing at least some of us in this world are on the right side of the ledger. I would not want to be one of those poor protestants or all the other faiths you mentioned.

Keep up the good work….i look forward to your next article.

Kind regards

Barry.

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Angelo Stagnaro (“Erasmus”) performs as a stage magician and mentalist and divides his time between Europe and North America. He is the editor of “Smoke & Mirrors,” the Net’s largest e-zine for professional magicians. He’s also the Guildmaster of the Catholic Magicians’ Guild and a professed member of the Secular Franciscans (Third Order Franciscans)

Angelo has published articles in most of the major Catholic journals in the United States and Great Britain and had worked as a correspondent for the Catholic News Service having served as principle liaison for the wire service to the United Nations and to the Holy See’s Office to the United Nations.

Angelo has authored six books on mentalism/cold reading including Conspiracy, Something from Nothing, The Other Side, Shibboleth and his upcoming Spur of the Moment. This series has been translated into four languages and is considered seminal in the art of mentalism. He is also one of the world’s experts in cold reading. In addition, he’s written an instructional book for catechists which uses stage magic as a teaching tool for children and young adults entitled The Catechist’s Magic Kit. (Crossroad) His other books include How to Pray the Dominican Way (Paraclete) and The Christian Book of the Dead. (Crossroad) His most recent book was released through Tau Publishing and is entitled A Lenten Cookbook for Catholics.

All of his theology books have received imprimaturs and nihil obstat from Bishop Nicholas DeMarzio of Brooklyn.

Angelo has traveled extensively and has worked, studied, performed and/or traveled in 70 countries.